Suspension device for street-lamps.



PATENTED JAN. 31,1905.

A. NIEMEYER. SUSPENSION DEVISE FOR STREET LAMPS.

AIPLQIOATION FILED APB. 5, 1904..

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Il/Zzesses v UNITED STATES Patented January 31, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE,

AUGUST NIEMEYER, OF BERLIN, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR TO DEUTSCHE WAFFEN UND MUNITIONS-FABRIKEN, OF BERLIN, GERMANY.

SUSPENSION DEVICE Fon STREET-LAMPS.

SPECIFICATION fOrmng part of Letters Patent N 781,451, dated January 31, 1905.

l Application filed April 5, 1904. Serial No. 201,664.

T LZZ whom it mag/concern:

Be it known that I, AUGUST NIEMEYER, engineer, a subject of the King of Prussia, Em-

Y peror of Germany, residing at No. 50 Alt Moabit, Berlin, in the Kingdom of Prussia, German Emplre, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Suspension Deisa specification.

i Successful devices for the suspension of elecvices for Street-Lamps,of which the following f tric lamps and the like require to be so constructed that the lamp may be readily raised' and lowered, and the means for doing so must bey of such simple construction as to operate v be liable to get out of repair.

eiciently under all conditions of use and not It is of especial importance that the suspending-cord shall work freely to quickly and surely engage or v disengage the suspendingdevice, as may be 2o desired. y

The present invention has for its object to entirely obviate the disadvantages and secure the' advantages named. 'The guide-slot for the cord -is completely closed, the bent-up portion having a rearwardrclosed extension forming' a continuation of the slot and having an enlargement through which-the ball can pass when lowered after first raising it from its seat. The motion of the ball through ,the enlargementis not affected by shifting the device by hand to a greater or less extent toward lthe standard or supporting-post of the lamp, but by the hook device itself, this being arranged to oscillate. This oscillation is produced by the weight of the vertically raised and lowered lamp itself by forming the hook with inclined surfaces, against which the ball slides in rising and falling, thereby pushing the hook to one side or the other to such an extent as to bring the respective enlargements into a position directly above or below the ball. As the ball always only moves in a Figure l is a side View of the lamp-standard with the suspension device in the normal position with the lamp suspended therefrom.. Figs. 2 to 6 show the different relative positions which the hook and the lamp assume `during the raising and lowering; and Figs.

7 and 8 show, respectively, a front view and a plan of the hook device detached.

From the `standard a the suspending-hook b is hung in such a manner as to be capable of swinging to and from the standard in line vertically with the point of suspension for the. hook. To the standard is attached the guidepulley c,over which passes the wire cord Learrying the ball e, from which hangs the hooked rod f, carrying the lamp. The suspendinghook is so formed of one piece as to have a longitudinal slot g extending through the shank and the nose thereof.' The hook has a rearward extension formed as a loop closing the slot. The shank part of the hook is so bent as to form two inclined surfaces 7l and lo, andthe nose Z also forms an incline. The guide-slot g has three enlargements, the one, m, in the vertical part or shank and the other two, n and 0, in the forwardly-bent-up portion or nose Z and in the rear extension la.

The hook operates as follows: If the arcvlamp is'to be lowered from its normal position at Fig. l, it is first lifted by means of the cord d, causing the ball e to slide along the incline le, as at Fig. 2, and thereby press the hookloackward toward the standard. When the ball has passed the highest point of the incline 7c, it arrives opposite the enlargement m of the guide-slot, and the hook can then swing back into its normal positiontdetermined by gravity, as at Fig. 3, whereby the ball is made to pass through the enlargement to the back of the hook, as shown. Upon then lowering the lamp the ball slides down along' thefrear side of the incline 70, as shown at Fig. 4, thereby pressing the hook forward away from Vthe standard and causing the rod f of the lamp to enter the loop of the rearward extension L. When the hook has thus been brought to its extreme position to the right, the enlargement 0 of the extension will'be situated immediately below the ball, so that this can now descend through the slot, whereupon the hook can swing back again into its normal position, as at Fig. 5. The lamp is now completely lowered for the purpose of adjustment, after which it is drawn up again. The ball then bears against the inclined under surface of the bent-up portion Z of the hook, thereby pressing the latter to the left, as at Fig. 6, until it can pass through the enlargement a of the slot. The hook then again swings back into its normal position, so that on lowering the cord slightly the ball comes to rest in the bend of the hook, as at Fig. l, and the cord is then relieved of all strain.

A forked bracket p is iiXed to the standard in which is mounted the guide-pulley 0 and which acts as a stop for the ball e to bear against, so as to prevent the lamp being raised beyond a certain height.

In order to prevent the hook from oscillating to too great an extent in a high wind, iiXed stops q are attached to the bracket 72 or to the standard (a, which only allow of such an extent of to-and-fro motion of the hook as is necessary for bringing the enlargements of lilirlguide-slot immediately over or under the As will be seen, the hook consists of a single piece with closed loops which embrace the cord of the arc-lamp so that it cannot become disengaged therefrom. No special devices, no bearing-surfaces, or the like are necessary. Its mode of operation results solely from its own described construction.

It will be obvious that this construction of suspension device can be employed for the suspension of all descriptions of objects that can be raised by means of a cord provided with a ball. In place of a ball may of course be employed any equivalent device constituting a sufficient enlargementon the cord for supporting the lamp or other object on the hook.

Having thus described the nature of my said invention and the best means I know of carrying the same into practical effect, I claiml. An automatic suspension device for arclamps and the like, consisting of a swinging hook having its outer faces inclined to the vertical and provided with a slot closed at its ends for the reception of the suspension-cord, said slot having an enlarged opening for the passage of a ball or equivalent device upon the cord.

2. An automatic suspension device for arclamps and the like, consisting of a swinging rod formed into a hook provided with a slot closed at its ends for the reception of the suspension-cord and in its shank and nose with enlarged openings communicating with the slot for the passage of a ball or equivalent device upon the cord.

3. An automatic suspension device for arclamps and the like, consisting of afreely-swinging rod formed into a hook inclined to the vertical provided with a slot closed atits ends for the reception of the suspension-cord and in its shank and nose with enlarged openings communicating with the slot for the passage of a ball or equivalent device upon the cord, and a loop extending rearwardly from the hook and provided with an enlarged opening also communicating with the slot.

1i. Automatic suspension device for arclamps and other objects consisting of a hook having a longitudinal slot closed at its ends with enlargements for the passage of a ball or equivalent device on the suspension-cord, wherein the cord is prevented from leaving the guide-slot of the hook by means of an cxtension opposite the bent-up portion of the hook, said extension being formed with an enlargement through which the ball can pass for lowering the lamp.

5. In an automatic suspension device, a freehanging hook having a longitudinal slot, an incline on the vertical part of said hook along which the ball or other enlargement of the cord slides in being raised, so as to shift the hook backward, an enlargement of the slot above said incline, through which the ball can pass to the rear side of the hook, an incline on such rear side against which the ball slides in descending so as to shift the hook forward and looped rear extension of the hook with 9 enlargement of the slot, which is brought below the ball so that this can descend through it, when the hook is shifted forward.

6. In an automatic suspension device, a freehanging hook havinga longitudinal slot, an incline on the vertical part of said hook, along which the ball or other enlargement of the cord slides in being raised, so as to shift the hook backward, an enlargement of the slot above said incline through which the ball can pass to the rear side of the hook` an incline on such rear side against which the ball slides in descending so as to shift the hook forward, and a looped rear extension of the hook with enlargement of the slot, and a bent-up part of the hook with incline and enlargement of its slot,along which incline the ball slides on being raised by the cord, so as to shift thehook rearward and bring the enlargement into position for the ball to pass through it in order then to drop into the bend of the hook.

An automatic suspension device for arclamps and other objects, consisting of a hook provided with a closed slot having enlargements for the passage of a ball or equivalent device on the suspension-cord, and having a rearward looped extension for retaining the cord in the slot of the hook, and a stop fixed to the standard of the lamp for preventing the lamp from being raised beyond a certain height.

8. An automatic suspension device for arclamps and other objects consisting of a swinging slotted hook formed of an endless loop as of wire and provided with enlargements for IOO the passage of a ball or equivalent device on the suspension-cord, and having a rearward looped extension for retaining the cord inthe slot of the hook, a stop fixed to the standard of the lamp for preventing the lamp from being raised beyond a` certain height, and fixed stops on the standard for limiting the backward-and forward motion of the hook.

9. An automaticsuspension device for arclamps and the like, consisting of a hook hav- I ing a bent shank and pivotally suspended at a point substantially inline vertically with the suspension-cord, said hook provided with a slot closed at its ends for the reception of the cord and with enlarged openings in the shank and nose communicating with the slot for the passage oi' a ball or equivalent device, upon e `lamps and the like, consisting of a lhook having a bent shank and pivotally suspended at a pointsubstantially in line vertically With the suspension-cord, said hook provided with a slot closed at its ends for the reception of the cord and with enlarged openings in the shank and nose communicating with the slot Jfor the passage of a ball or equivalent device upon the cord, and a loop extending rearwardly from the hook and provided with an enlarged opening also communicating with the slot, the enlarged openings normally occupying a position under gravity to the side .of a vertical line dropped from the point of suspension.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two Witnesses,

AUGUST NIEMEYER.

Witnesses:

WOLDEMAR HAUPT, HENRY HASPER. 

